Databases can be used to store many data values, however, sometimes it is helpful to have a more bird's eye view of the data that is provided through data aggregation. With data aggregation, thousands or even millions of database records can be aggregated or viewed in a summary form to provide a different view of the stored data. However, the data aggregation process often consumes a great deal of time and resources especially as the number of stored database records grow.
In the drawings, like reference numbers generally indicate identical or similar elements. Additionally, generally, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the drawing in which the reference number first appears.